lyrics of national anthems

lyrics of national anthems

hi folks: i love this particular country but, until now, i had never seen a translation of the lyrics to its national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g&feature=related

it is the most bellicose, nationalistic, and even racist national anthem that i know of.

compare it with the former lyrics of this national anthem (which is the only one i know of that was composed by an immortal composer. hint: his first name is

joseph):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfzZdSxkzMw&feature=related

these lyrics were thought to be too nationalistic. they are tame stuff compared to the preceding. they are

on the same level with the pride expressed in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN9EC3Gy6Nk&feature=related

on the contrary, the following anthem primarily celebrates the ability to take a punch from the preceding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i426pbQJZ_g&feature=related

clearly, these people have changed a lot!

probably the best anthem of them all, like the preceding one defensive in nature, sung in english by the great paul robeson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtU3vUOa2sw&feature=related

not an anthem, but a great song nonetheless by a great singer, i cannot resist including it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGSR1jCXojI&feature=related

i must add the following in honor of a great lady. those who are familiar with my writings will be able to guess what anthem this is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTAf27OkuYE

okay, from these guys you had to expect at least a little arrogance!

the following is a tribute to those who are ever vigilant against their unstable southern neighbors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoZXeUjRXSs&feature=related

this is probably the most poetic anthem of all. could these people ever fight a war? i think they could!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piv4U4yJPg0&feature=related

clearly, this anthem shows only one aspect of its people!

that's all folks! this got started by my surprise at the lyrics of the first anthem on this list. the list was never intended to be encyclopedic.

and i was limited by my ability to find at least partial translations into english,

good bye for now,

joe n

anthem like lyrics

hello folks: here is a continuation of the lyrics of anthems blog. it includes a few more things that are only anthem like. the emphasis is still on songs with enough english somewhere, perhaps in subtitles, to be comprehensible to an english speaker.

we start with the internationale, a controversial modern version in english. this particular selection was given to me by paul panomarev:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk69e1Vcmvg

even today the above has something to say!

you have heard the paul robeson version of the soviet anthem, there exist stalin free lyrics to the hymn of the soviet union:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Raafdzxns&feature=related

or, with alternate videos, two other choices:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXOLUrIXqxw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yDrtNEr_5M&feature=PlayList&p=2DBE6B74DEE7C1E1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11

i do not know when the stalin free were lyrics composed, long ago or recently. either is politically possible.

the paul robeson version is illustrated by the film of the actual victory parade in red square at the conclusion of world war 2. you could argue that stalin deserved to be included in the lyrics at that time. i certainly would argue that!

although numbers can lie, it is hard for them to do so. the length and severity of the fighting on the eastern front, the number of deaths there all tell us a clear tale as to who actually paid the bulk of the price to win world war 2. the americans and the british make it seem as if they did the most important fighting in the war. in reality they did very little until the end. the american generation who fought world war 2 has been referred to as "the greatest generation." i can think of two generations who accomplished more, one, the contemporary soviet generation who won world war 2 and, two, the american generation who put down the south and won the civil war.

here is another take on the paul robeson version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE0ff5Na4Ns&feature=related

i especially like the selection of historical films in the above.

just in case you think that the soviet anthems pay slavish homage to the leaders, take a look at this anthem from north korea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpnKJrSvjb8&feature=related

i like the cheerful note in the next song, "heroic worker's factory." it is a stirring example of moral guidance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9FWIglEFLQ&feature=related

in fact, one can find on the internet countless examples of songs of praise to the great leader. here are two more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrJY1sDpEDk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5T2yf-bk1g

the second of the above hints at his divinity. there are many nonmusical youtube videos attesting to the greatness of the leader, "the great master of arts, the great architect, the great athlete, the great economist, the great warrior, etc." they are very serious, not at all tongue in cheek. one will suffice to illustrate the tone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu4x56UTSTc&feature=related

this stuff is inspiring to those who are inspired by stuff like this!

i conclude this segment with the "dear leader kim jeong-il, the brilliant commander." it has some background music. i love the initial quote: "one can live without candy. one cannot live without bullets." how true that is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp7RkdvyDDI&feature=related

since we are possessed by a desire to fight wars without paying for them, we should at least include the chinese anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp1Xu9wP3J4&feature=related

by the way, contrast our current spendthrift attitude towards paying for war with the responsible attitude of the liberal times of FDR. we have been ruled in recent years by the present equivalent of the degenerate southern aristocracy, not by true fiscal conservatives:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js-iC1Lofb4&feature=related

let us leave the violence of disney to go to the esperanto anthem espero (=hope). this was sent to me by hoss firooznia. he called it the most idealistic one of them all. it is! even jan pearce said that it could well be the hippie national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q012YoW41s

recoiling from the peaceful sentiments of the preceding, we go to

the soviet artillery song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DA1y_s2D5M&feature=related

and the panzer lied, untranslated. it needs no translation. it is all about attitude! i include it because i found the link on the website of ulrich's tavern in buffalo. ulrich's tavern was included in anthony bourdain's show on buffalo. it was founded in 1868. i went there for liver dumpling soup. excellent! i asked my waitress why this link was on their website. the waitress did not know. she agreed that it was weird that it was there. she said i would have to ask the owner. but the owner was not there at the time. it is curious to note that ulrich's was founded by germans and retains their cuisine on the menu, but it is now owned by irish and has some fine irish beers. it is a working class place, dingy but in the process of being remodeled. as can be expected from the fact that anthony bourdain went there, it is a good place for some authentic food and drink. the strangest thing about this selection is that it is on the website of a commercial establishment. i do not think that anthony knows it is there. it seems to be a selection performed for some movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ_1wyWmBVM&feature=related

this led me to more germanic stuff:

from the glory days of the third reich, here a song full of sad memories! even though it is untranslated, the meaning is clear enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVpM8OPixds&feature=related

american veterans lack such songs. they could use some to temper there arrogance. here is one that used to be popular but is not sung much now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD4iQs3rym4&feature=related

just to remember world war 2, here is the trailer for watch on the rhine, the movie starring bette davis and paul lukas. i like the earnestness of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SD_ZH_zfe8

recall the universal song of the war. it seems to have been sung in many languages. there is supposed to be a version by perry como but i cannot find it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8XeS3lsgc&feature=related

on a lighter note, here is some primitive english but filled with inspiring patriotism! and a rather sexy dancer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuxghiwjgQc&feature=related

the pride expressed in the above is clearly better directed than it was in some previous times.

more in the spirit of the old germany, here is the nazi march "erika" as a tribute to augustin pinochet. the south american leader beloved by republicans like nixon and kissinger and by maggie thatcher was a true fan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKUu2xeBkt4

in contrast, here is the chilean anthem, very gentle but with a curious death wish at the end:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCli830LXho

now on to revolution!

the classic irish song against british imperialism is the rising of the moon. i like the clancey brothers version but it has no film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwHm18K3kjs

here is one with film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUVSvit98Zw&feature=related

it is enlightening to hear an anti-american song from sweden at the time of the vietnam war:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jHq2r6BQA0&feature=related

and here is the vietnamese anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veMwTqvsozA&feature=related

we follow this with some controversial stuff sent to me by paul panomarev:

first, a parody of a nike commercial and the exploitation by that company:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5pJIhFPLns&feature=related

and a song about the general principles of american foreign policy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYHEygjMi1k

this last is created by the french and is a bit anti-american! with its use of a standard tune it reminds me of many of the works of john harper! see the conclusion of this blog below.

i add something which is illustrative of the respect that the bushites have fostered for america in the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8D-0p6XtUQ&feature=related

forgetting about revolution for now, here are the anthems of two neighboring countries with much intertwined histories.

in lyrics obviously influenced by recent history, the anthem of east germany seems totally without spirit. but, since the music is pretty good, that part might be by a major composer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoZxY3fSt30

the next anthem is a curious contribution from our friends the poles. it focuses on someone named dabrowski who seemed to primarily an employee of napolean, this anthem seems very typical of the poles. enough said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nmFHUbVQtA

here is a tune from switzerland which americans will recognize. i wonder who stole it from whom?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deEFNbWQKtQ&feature=related

in order to continue to wind down this blog, here is a rather crude english version of beethoven's ode to joy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhAecssF83g

still it is remarkable that the english lyrics fit so well!

it is as coherent as the muppets version of the stars and stripes forever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o

on the other hand, john harper's lyrics constitute a coherent set of alternate lyrics to the above:

Scars and Gripes Forever

Be kind to your web-footed friends

For a duck may be somebody's mother

Be courteous to the creatures in the swamp

Even though you don't know their names.

Don't step on that myxomycetus

It has just as much right to live as you have;

Be careful not to wander off the trail

But if you do and then get lost you won't be lonely.

Be kind to your hard drinking friends

For a drunk may be somebody's brother

Don't sneer at that bum in the street

Someday you may be there too.

And don't throw your butts in the gutter

It might just be a place somebody calls home;

You never know what's coming down the street

But all is well so what the hell, why be bothered.

Be kind to the wives of your friends

For you don't want to insult a mother

And try to say you think they do look fine

Even though they turn to fat.

You might think that this is the end

But you're in for a major disappointment;

This song can go on and go on

Because there's never any need to make the words rhyme!

this is something taught by an ex OSS agent. it is information which everyone should know. finally, you learn something useful from this blog!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmvfUKwBrg

and, just to end on a subversive note!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF31qCrclC0

that's all, folks!

joe n